Echoes of Empires
Welcome to Echoes of Empires. If you’re looking for a podcast about history, you’ve come to the right place! Because you’ll find over a hundred episodes here about the Roman Empire, Byzantium, the Arab Caliphates, Charlemagne’s Empire, the Dark Ages, the Crusades and I’m adding to them all the time.
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Episodes
149 episodes
Introduction and the Origins of Rome
Welcome to Echoes of Empires! If you’re looking for a podcast about history, you’ve come to the right place! Because you’ll find over a hundred episodes here about the Roman Empire, Byzantium, the Arab Caliphates, Charlemagne’s Empire, t...
Rome's Path to Glory
We continue with the story of Rome's rise to power in the third and second centuries BC, and ask two vital questions: first, did the Romans simply get lucky? Second, how did the Roman legions become the most feared fighting machine of the ancie...
Hail Caesar
In this episode, we look at the collapse of the Roman Republic, and the man whose brilliance and whose greed for power, caused a crisis in the Roman world. This was Julius Caesar, the most famous Roman of all.
Augustus
Julius Caesar lies dead on the floor of the Senate. What will happen now? The answer lies with a man called Octavian, who will surprise and astonish the ancient world by reinventing the Roman state and ensuring two hundred years of peace - he i...
The Pax Romana
Augustus' Roman Empire produced over two hundred years of peace in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. It was called the 'Pax Romana', or Roman Peace. It has never been achieved before or since. So, how did the Romans do it? Find out in t...
The Reign of Commodus
Marcus Aurelius was the last of the 'Good Emperors'. His son, Commodus, proved to be the exact opposite of his father. A bloodthirsty tyrant, his reign is often seen as marking the beginning of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
Tacitus and the Secret of the Empire
Tacitus wrote that the Year of the Four Emperors, in 68-69AD, revealed "The Secret of the Empire." It was a secret that would lead to the near collapse of the Roman Empire in the third century. Find out in this episode what that secret was!
The Persians
In the third century, Rome faced a reinvigorated Persia, led by the Sasanian dynasty. In 260 AD, the Roman Emperor Valerian was defeated and captured. Allegedly, the Persian King used him as a footstool to mount his horse before flaying him and...
The Germans
The third century was a time of crisis for the Roman Empire. Not only was Persia revived by the Sasanians but, in the West, the Germans posed a far greater threat than ever before. Find out why in this episode!
The Goths
More than any other Germanic tribe, the Goths would dominate Roman history from the third to the sixth centuries. In this episode, we hear how they were the first of Rome's many enemies to precipitate the crisis of the third century.
Plague
The decline of the Roman Empire was not only due to barbarian invasions and civil war. In the second century AD, it was hit by the first pandemic known in human history: the Antonine Plague. Was it germs rather than Germans that brought down th...
Climate Change
You might not immediately associate climate change with the Roman Empire but in fact it was critically important both to Rome's rise to power and also to its fall. Find out why here!
The Fall before the Fall
One of the most fascinating parts of Roman history is the little known "Fall before the Fall". This was the period from around AD 250 to 275 when the Roman Empire broke up into three separate parts. It was a close-run thing if the empire would ...
A New Type of Emperor
We've now reached one of the most exciting parts of Roman history. With the break-up of the Roman Empire in the AD 260s, the situation looked extremely bleak. But this was the catalyst for revolution, and the emergence of a new breed of tough s...
A New Army
In the late AD 260s, under the leadership of the soldier-Emperor, Claudius 'Gothicus', the Roman army started to turn the tide against its enemies. So, how and why had the Roman army changed? Find out in this episode!
Man of Steel
When Claudius Gothicus died of the plague in AD270, it seemed as if the Roman fight back against the barbarian invasions might be stalled. But his deputy, Aurelian, quickly assumed the purple and led the Roman armies to even greater glories.
The Battle for the East
In the AD 270s, the Roman Empire was fighting for its life. But the Emperor Aurelian was one of the best generals in Rome's history. He managed to defeat a German invasion of Italy and then pushed the Goths back over the Danube. He was now read...
The Defeat of Palmyra
In AD 272, the Emperor Aurelian's eastern offensive was in full swing. His army recaptured Antioch while, in the south, the Roman navy reconquered Egypt. But Palmyra was far from finished and great battles were still to be fought.
The World Restored
Having defeated Palmyra in AD 272, Aurelian turned west to face the breakaway Gallic Empire. Could he now reunite the Roman Empire?
Diocletian's New Empire
In AD 284, a new Emperor seized the purple. His name was Diocletianus, or Diocletian, as he is better known to us. He had a new vision of the Empire which was as revolutionary as that of Augustus, three hundred years before.
Diocletian's New Economics
Diocletian's greatest innovation may sound mundane but it was to form the basis of the financial strength of the Roman and Byzantine Empires for centuries to come. It was the reform of the Roman tax system.
Tetrarchs and Christians
In the late third century, the Roman Empire was changing rapidly. Civil war had done much to contribute to its near destruction. Now, the radical Emperor Diocletian came up with an innovative solution for this - the Tetrarchy. He also dec...
The Rise of Christianity
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Roman Empire was the rapid rise of Christianity in the late third and fourth centuries. While much attention has been focused on the roles of emperors, like Diocletian, who persecuted the Christians, an...
Constantine's Conversion
The Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity shortly before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312 is seen as a landmark event in not just the history of the Roman Empire but of Christianity, and indeed of the entire world. But what...